


SPOOKYRARARA

by OriharaInfobroker



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Genderbend in Chapter 3, Halloween, M/M, Multi, Spookyrarara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2020-12-17 12:13:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21054212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OriharaInfobroker/pseuds/OriharaInfobroker
Summary: Shorts written for the Spookyrarara Halloween prompt.





	1. Shadow and Light: The Wyld Hunt

_ My good friend,  _

_ I have no idea if you're still stalking that onmyoji in Sendai but I hope my letter finds you there. Unless he chased you off. But we haven't heard of any fires in Sendai so I'm assuming not.  _

_ You might want to share this with him as I don't know any other onmyoji. At least not any real ones. That old fake that lives by the river is still tricking people but he hasn't been able to explain anything. Something odd has been happening in Osaka, something that can only be spirit related. My beloved Celty thinks it may have something to do with her but she can't be sure. It definitely doesn't seem like anything related to Japanese spirits, anyway, at least nothing I’ve ever heard of.  _

_ The Russian witch is in town but when I asked her about it, she told me it wasn't to do with her. Then she threatened to turn me into a toad. Can she do that? Anyway, you should really come visit and see for yourself.  _

_ Kishitani Shinra _

The weather in Sendai had started to turn cold when Izaya received the letter from his questionable friend in Osaka. "Haruya!" Izaya announced as he entered the lord's rooms, waving the letter. "We have been invited to Osaka to solve a mystery." 

Shiki looked up from the map he had spread out on the table, glancing at Izaya with an arched brow. "A mystery? Do I look like a yoriki?" 

Akabayashi looked up from the reports he had been reading, showing more interest. "Osaka?" 

Izaya handed the letter to Shiki then immediately made himself comfortable in Akabayashi's lap. The redhead discarded his reports in favour of accommodating the fox's presence, wrapping an arm around his waist. 

Shiki read through the letter then shifted his gaze to Izaya. "This tells me nothing about the actual mystery." He pointed out and Izaya shrugged. 

"But there is a mystery and we should investigate," Izaya replied with an eager grin. 

Akabayashi reached for the letter, giving it a read as well. "Stalking?" He asked with amusement. "I'm curious about this Russian witch. What does a Russian witch do?" 

"Curse people," Izaya replied with a smirk. "And make strange potions with herbs and poisonous mushrooms. I'd stay away from her if I were you. I hear she isn't very fond of men." 

Akabayashi raised a brow and gave one of Izaya's tails a tug. "Are you making that up?" 

"Celty is the fairy from the far west?" Shiki interjected. 

Izaya nodded. "Yes, the one from Eire. If this is tied to her, then there may be more of her kind here. Maybe they came to find her."

"You never did tell us why she was here," Akabayashi commented. 

"She's looking for her head," Izaya replied with a grin. 

"Her head?" Akabayashi's voice was full of disbelief. "Now you  _ must _ be lying."

Izaya gasped in mock offence. "I would never lie!"

Shiki chuckled. "Except for all the times when you do…"

Izaya smirked and shrugged. "Well, I'm not lying about this. She's like some sort of rokurokubi* or something. According to Shinra, her kind of yosei carry their heads and ride around in some sort of horse-pulled cart. They also throw buckets of blood on people and sometimes even kill them."

"No way. Even this far north, stories of a headless creature throwing blood on people would have travelled." Akabayashi protested and Izaya snickered. 

"Celty isn't like the rest of her kind. Someone stole her head so she can't remember much from before it was stolen. She does have a strange fairy horse and she can do fascinating things with shadows but she doesn't throw blood or murder people."

"Too bad. Sounds like her kind of yosei would be interesting to fight. What’s the likelihood that there are more of these yosei Osaka?”

Izaya plucked the letter from Akabayashi’s hand and waved it in his face. “You know as much as I do, Mizuki.”

Akabayashi grabbed his wrist with a snort. “Either way sounds like it could be a fun adventure.”

“You know we’re in the middle of the last harvest before the snow, yes?” Shiki pointed out. “Not to mention that there’s always a risk of oni raids this time of year.”

Izaya and Akabayashi both fixed Shiki with near-identical expressions of disappointment. 

“Aozaki can deal with the raids.” Akabayashi pointed out.

“And the majority of the harvest is already in,” Izaya added.

“How often does a mystery like this appear?” Akabayashi continued.

“And you really are the best person to investigate.” Izaya reinforced.

“If we took a ship, it would only take a few days to get there.”

Izaya side-eyed Akabayashi at the suggestion. “Or I could just take you through the spirit paths and we could be there in a day.”

“Osaka is nice this time of year.”

“Still quite warm in the bay.”

Shiki watched the two of them attempt to double team him a sigh. “You’re not going to stop until I agree, are you?”

“Nope.” They said in unison. 

“Fine, if Izaya will take us quickly.”

~

It was a simple enough task for the fox, having been to Osaka before. Shiki’s natural spiritual power and Akabayashi’s possession of Saika, combined with the escort of a kitsune kept them more than safe travelling such a short distance through the spirit world though there were a few curious yokai watching them as they passed.

They came out on a hill not far from the outskirts of the city, greeted by a view that should have been beautiful but instead, the city seemed enveloped in a dismal fog. 

“Strange weather for Osaka,” Akabayashi observed and Shiki nodded thoughtfully while Izaya bristled at the sight, ears curling back and tails puffing up. 

“This is not natural.” The fox replied, wrapping his arms around himself. "And it is definitely not a native Yokai's doing."

"This is… Strange…" Shiki murmured, eyes narrowing. 

"Well, no use standing here." Akabayashi began to walk toward the city. "Where does your friend reside?" 

"On the banks of the river, about halfway to the port," Izaya replied, following the redhead as Shiki pulled up the rear. 

"Isn't that in the flower district?* " 

Izaya affected a surprised look though his eyes shone with amusement. "Why, Mizuki, however did you know that?" 

"Well-travelled," Akabayashi replied with a smirk. "All the best places to drink are found in the flower districts."

"By drink he means gamble," Shiki added. 

As they passed by houses and shops, the entire city had a subdued atmosphere. Only those townsfolk who needed to conduct business seemed to be out; the streets had an empty feel to them. Many of the townsfolk stopped to stare at them with blatant curiosity, particularly Izaya who had forgotten to hide his fox traits. 

"Oh shit," Izaya muttered with a sigh when he realized it, shooting an accusatory look at Shiki. "This is your fault."

Akabayashi laughed at Izaya, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "It's fine, you're with us."

"Hardly the point." He huffed in return. "All your insistence that I do not hide at home is making me careless."

"Izaya-kun!" A bespectacled young man waved enthusiastically at them from up the street. His hair was cut short in a foreign way and while he was wearing hakama, instead of a proper kimono he appeared to be wearing some sort of western coat. 

"What on earth is that?" Akabayashi commented with a laugh. 

"He did mention Kishitani's father travelled." Shiki reminded Akabayashi. "Be polite."

"Shinra." Izaya greeted the young man with a smirk.

"You certainly didn't take your time." Shinra babbled at the fox. "For once, I think Celty might be happy to see you. She's really quite worried that she may have caused the townsfolk problems by being here. I told her that it isn't her fault but she's convinced herself and I simply can't talk her out of it. Maybe you can talk to her and explain that Nihon has plenty of strange occurrences and that this isn't a big deal-"

"Shinra, you haven't even told me what is going on." Izaya interrupted the doctor's monologue. "Can we talk about this at your house instead of the middle of the street? I'd rather not get stared at any longer than necessary."

"Oh! I didn't even notice! Yes, yes, please, right this way. And this must be the famous Daimyo of Sendai and his Red Oni, yes? Welcome to Osaka. Unfortunately, the city is a bit subdued due to the strange things that have been happening. My apologies if it doesn't meet your expectations."

"My expectation was that something strange was happening, Kishitani-sensei, so have no concern for the mood," Shiki replied, more to shut up the doctor's rambling than to reassure him. Akabayashi smirked a bit but remained silent, fixing his attention on their surroundings. 

Shinra's house was quite large, set back on a side street between a teahouse and an izakaya. It stood out among the smaller businesses and homes in the area. Shinra showed them in and immediately began to prepare tea and light food for them. 

"It started near the beginning of the harvest. Strange things, mostly harmless and just as likely to be a native yokai playing tricks as anything else. Things went missing, strange sounds and lights after dark. Offerings were left at the shrine to placate the spirits but it only got worse. A sake storehouse was raided, several casks were stolen despite there being a guard and all the doors being locked. An entire crop of kabocha went rotten overnight. The yoriki doubled their nightly patrols but no culprits could be found. They asked the shrine for help and charms have been hung all around the town but do not appear to be working."

Shinra paused to pour the tea. "I sent the letter before things got worse. This last week, every night it starts with the sound of hooves on pavement. It starts from the northeast, does a circuit of the city, then is gone. Ethereal voices, laughing, yelling, crying and wailing. Such a cacophony of noise like you've never heard before. Horses and dogs and hunting horns. The first few days, it was just sound. Then people began to see things. Half-formed images of people and beasts. People have been locking themselves inside before sunset, afraid of what this might mean. Last night one drunk idiot actually came out of his house to watch the mysterious procession and ended up covered in blood! Just like my Celty used to do before she lost her head!" Shinra’s explanation went from grave to excited. “Do you know what that means?”

“That the man had to bathe? Which was probably good if he was drunk. Might have helped sober him up.” Izaya replied.

“No no no!” Shinra shook his head vehemently, nearly dislodging his glasses. “Another dullahan! Possibly more than one!”

“As if your strange obsession needs more targets to fixate on.” Izaya sighed and shook his head.

“It’s not strange at all!” Shinra replied with a huff. “There is no truer form of love than that borne of truly knowing a person without the fixation of physical appearance!”

“It’s simply not natural for a human to fixate on a  _ headless monster _ , Shinra. It isn’t love you are consumed with, it’s obsession.”

“I think a kitsune who fixates on the impossible love for an entire race of people really doesn’t understand love at all.” 

Shiki and Akabayashi watched the two arguing with a mix of amusement and irritation. 

“I don’t think either of you understands love.” Akabayashi interrupted with a snort. “But love isn’t why we’re here. These yosei, have they approached Celty?”

“No, they’ve only come out at night and only in this strange procession.” The sound of the door sliding open made Shinra pause and grin. “Ah, my beautiful Celty has returned! She can tell you more! Celty my love! Izaya came to help us.”

The form that entered the room was very slender, far too slender for the samurai-styled clothing it seemed to be wearing. The black of its robes and the eerie yet odd helmet gave it a ridiculous sort of appearance, like a child wearing their father's clothes yet there was an aura about the creature that set both Akabayashi and Shiki on edge. 

The helmet turned its gaze on Izaya and though it made no sound, the hostility in it was unmistakable. 

"Hello, Celty. You're looking as bizarre as ever. Still playing errand runner for the locals?" ” Izaya smirked at the foreign faerie. “Do take off your helmet and join us for tea.”

“Celty, Izaya brought guests who may be able to help with this,” Shinra interjected and the faerie’s gaze shifted to Shiki and Akabayashi. Her demeanour seemed to change immediately to embarrassed and apologetic. She quickly bowed to the two men then sat down beside Shinra. “This is Shiki Haruya, Lord of Sendai and one of the few true onmyoji in all Nihon. The other is his taisho, Akabayashi Mizuki, known as the Red Oni.”

Celty pulled out a small black tablet that appeared to be some sort of stone and set it down on the table, writing on it with a thin white stick. Shiki and Akabayashi both watched with fascination, having never seen such a method of writing before.

_ Thank you for coming all this way. It’s an honour to meet you both. Has Shinra told you what has been happening? _

“Yes, he has.” Shiki acknowledged. “Please do feel free to remove your helmet and tell us more from your perspective. Is it true that these creatures terrorizing Osaka are from your homeland?”

Celty carefully removed the cat-eared kabuto* , placing it on the floor beside her. Shiki and Akabayashi exchanged glances at the absence of her head, just as Izaya had told them, but said nothing. She resumed writing on the tablet, wiping away the previous words with a cloth.  _ I was not sure at first but I am now. These are faeries like me from Eire. I did not realize at first, because I have been here for so many years now. There is a holiday in Eire that all the faeries gather together to celebrate. It is called the Wyld Hunt and it is a most terrifying night for mortals. I do not know why but it seems the Wyld Hunt has come to Osaka. I can only assume it is because I am here but they have not come to see me. _

“The Wyld Hunt?” Izaya pondered the phrase. “Oh! I remember! That book you gave me, Shinra. It talked about this Wyld Hunt.”

“Book I gave you?” Shinra frowned. “I don’t remember giving you any books Izaya.”

Akabayashi’s lips twitched into a smirk. “What is the Wyld Hunt?”

“Well, the book was written from a human point of view so it may not be entirely accurate but these faeries would all gather together once a year to go on a grand hunt. If one did not wish to be targeted by the hunters one either hid indoors on the night of the hunt or wore masks that made them appear to be one of the faeries.”

_ That is accurate to what I remember. _ The dullahan wrote.  _ Careless mortals could easily become prey to the faerie host. I fear for the people of Osaka. They do not know the stories. _

“A hunt, you say?” Akabayashi confirmed with a grin. “If these faeries want a hunt, it would be better to send them into the western forest. Plenty of wild game to chase and no mortals to accidentally stumble across.”

“You are not proposing what I think you are,” Shiki replied, eyeing Akabayashi suspiciously.

“Miss faerie, who leads this hunt?” Akabayashi continued, grin widening at Shiki’s reaction. Izaya was watching Akabayashi with curiosity.

_ Well, it is usually one of the kings of our kind. It tends to change year to year. _

“They always come into the city in the same place. If they were intercepted there, they could be redirected to the western forest.” Izaya surmised, following Akabayashi’s logic.

_ They won’t listen to a mortal. _ Celty wrote.  _ Without my head, I do not think they will listen to me either. _

“What about an onmyoji?” Izaya pointed out, earning a cool glare from Shiki.

_ I don’t know. Maybe? _

“What about disguising ourselves?” Akabayashi asked. “Is wearing masks really enough?”

_ Only in passing. If they can look closer a mere mask will not be enough. _

“I could create convincing masks for you.” Izaya supplied with a grin.

“Sounds like a plan. You’ll disguise us and we’ll intercept the faeries before they enter the city. When do they do this Wyld Hunt?”

_ By our calendar, it will be tonight. _

“This does not sound like a wise plan.” Shiki pointed out with a shake of his head.

“Well, if you have a better suggestion, I’m all ears,” Akabayashi replied, earning a dirty look from Shiki.

“Time does not appear to be our friend,” Izaya added. “What’s the harm in trying to talk to the faeries?”

“Asks the fox.” Shiki sighed. “What do you need to disguise us, Izaya?”

“Just a couple of masks. I should be able to borrow them from the shrine.”

“You do that. Akabayashi and I will need to acquire some horses and hunting supplies.”

“You must absolutely tell me everything about the faeries if you come back,” Shinra added with excitement. “Celty and I will be waiting!”

~

Shiki and Akabayashi sat astride horses borrowed from Miyoshi Nagayoshi, lord of the Settsu province in which Osaka was located, waiting for Izaya. The fox had gone to the shrine but had not returned to Shinra’s before the sun had begun its descent. The closer the sun moved toward the horizon, the more intense the strange aura that had engulfed the town grew. 

“No horse for me?” The fox came up behind them, carrying two beautifully crafted masks with him, his own fox mask already perched off-center on his head. The soft chime of bells sound with his steps and his aura was as  _ other _ as the faeries. He handed Akabayashi an oni mask and a white wolf mask to Shiki.

“We’ve seen how you ride.” Akabayashi teased with a grin as he took the mask. “I don’t trust you to be able to handle a skittish horse when a bunch of faeries appear out of nowhere.”

Shiki took the mask and studied it with curiosity. “You’ve done something to it.”

Izaya stuck his tongue out at Akabayashi then gave Shiki a grin. “They’re enchanted. Wear it and you will appear to be it. Or a yokai equivalent in your case, white wolf of Sendai.” Shiki arched a brow then put on the mask, tying it tightly in place. Akabayashi watched with curiosity as Shiki’s form seemed to shimmer then reform as the enchantment took hold. The change was minor yet more than enough to believe Shiki was  _ other _ . 

“How cute, Haruya. Ears and a tail just like your pet fox.” Akabayashi observed, reaching out to touch one of the long white wolf’s ears but coming into contact with nothing but the line of Shiki’s ear and his hair. “Eh?”

“It’s an illusion.” Izaya rolled his eyes. “Put yours on before the faeries arrive. I can sense something growing closer.”

Akabayashi pushed his mask into place, curious about his own appearance. The only thing he could see without a mirror was that his skin appeared to be red.

“They’re here,” Shiki observed as the air around them grew ice cold and a tear seemed to form, starting like the crack of a door being slid open slowly. Beyond the crack came the sounds of many voices filled with excitement, horses neighing and dogs barking. At the sound of the dogs, Izaya tugged on Shiki’s sleeve nervously and the lord reached down to pull the fox up in front of him. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t get me a horse,” Izaya complained as they watched the first of the faeries to ride through the gateway. He was very tall, very thin, and very beautiful. His hair looked like it was spun from moonlight and his skin was almost porcelain. He wore a strange sort of armour, etched with what looked like stars and a crown of stars floated above his head like a halo. He rode toward them at a leisurely pace as more faeries spilled out behind him. They were all beautiful, in an otherworldly way, though not all were as human in appearance as their leader. Some, like Izaya, bore the traits of animals. Some had the wings of insects. Others looked like the oni Akabayashi was disguised as. Izaya couldn’t help but to stare at them all in fascination, comparing them to the yokai of Nihon. 

“I had wondered if the faeries of this land would come for the Hunt.” The beautiful leader spoke and his voice had a resonant musicality to it.

“We do not hunt the way your kind do, noble visitor,” Izaya spoke with deference, erring on the side of caution. “As such, we did not know what it was you were doing here.”

“You did not hear the horns?” The faerie lord seemed confused.

“We did not understand their meaning. We do now, though, which is why we are here. There is a forest to the west of this city that contains such game as your kind has never seen. Let us guide you there.”

“That is most kind of you, little pooka.” The faerie lord turned to his assembled host of hunters. “Our strange cousins have come to lead us on a hunt. Shall we accept their offer?” The faeries all cheered, clapping hands or blowing horns to add to the noise. Akabayashi glanced behind him to see a few terrified townsfolk looking out windows and doorways at the frightening gathering of monsters. “You hear them, little pooka? They are excited. Show us a Hunt we will never forget!”

“Are you sure about this?” Shiki murmured in Izaya’s ear.

“Of course. Besides, we’re committed now.” He replied to Shiki quietly before addressing the faerie host. “Follow me to Minoo, cousins.” Shiki gave a sigh as he turned the horse in the direction of the forest and set off, Akabayashi falling in on his left while the faerie lord rode on his right. 

As they entered the forest, Shiki sensed that Izaya had done more than enchant their masks. The forest had an eerie feel to it, a stillness that was not natural. “What did you do?” He murmured, grip on the fox’s waist tightening as they led the fairie host deeper into the woods.

“I asked for some assistance…” Izaya replied with a smirk that did nothing to alleviate Shiki’s rapidly growing concerns. Before he could press Izaya for answers, however, there came a strange whistling call that one might mistake for a bird but that it sent the horses shying nervously.

“You didn’t,” Shiki replied in disbelief.

“Was that what I think it was?” Akabayashi asked, eyes lighting up in excitement.

The beast that had made such an eerie sound appeared before them, much, much larger than the whistle implied and so strange that it surprised the faeries. Even among the yokai, the nue was a strange thing to behold. It had the head of a monkey, the body of a tanuki, the tail of a serpent and the limbs of a tiger. Though tales of the nue were few, they never ended well for the poor mortals that crossed paths with them. The nue fixed it’s beady gaze on them and made a sound that was less birdlike and more of a screech then launched itself toward the gathered hunters.

“Delightful!” The faerie lord exclaimed. “Let the hunt begin!” With that command, the faeries charged, meeting the nue halfway only to have another nue spring from the trees to join the fray. 

“I can’t believe you would call on a nue.” Shiki chided the fox who was watching the fight with pure delight.

“Might be some serious injuries from this,” Akabayashi observed, also amused by the show.

“Well, I didn’t think they’d be interested in hunting something as normal and boring as elk or even boar. I mean, they’re  _ monsters _ , right? So I found them something big and bad and monstrous.”

“You didn’t think this might be important information to share with us?” Shiki continued. “What happens if they can’t take the nue down?”

“I’ve always wondered what it would be like to fight one,” Akabayashi commented, earning a flat glare from Shiki.

“Well, I believe that’s when you issue a tactical retreat, yes?” Izaya replied impishly. “See? I’m learning this whole tactical warfare thing.”

“Tactical warfare is not inviting monsters to the battlefield.” Shiki jabbed Izaya in the ribs.

“Haruya…” Akabayashi pointed to their left where a third nue was approaching them, having seen that they were distracted. He turned his horse to face the creature, pulling one of his spears loose from where it was strapped to the saddle. “Seems we have our own nue to fight.”

Shiki sighed. “We’re going to discuss this later, Izaya. In detail.” He turned his mount as well. “Try not to fall off while I deal with this.” 

Izaya grinned and pulled one of the shorter spears from Shiki’s saddle as they urged the horses toward the target. They kept the nue harried until a few of the faerie hunters joined in, the added support giving them the opportunity to but the beast down. The hunt didn’t last very long, though battles always seemed to feel longer, and soon enough the faeries were carrying the corpses of the nue back down the hill to where the doorway still stood, shimmering in the darkness. 

“Thank you, little pooka, for showing us such a marvellous creature. Perhaps we will come to visit again.” The faerie lord reached out to pat Izaya on the head, causing Akabayashi to snicker.

“Do you have a name, my lord?” Izaya asked, doing his best to ignore the pat.

“They call me Midir. By what names may I call you three?”

“I am Orihara, a humble kitsune. That is Shiki, the white wolf of Sendai and his most trusted taisho, Akabayashi, the red oni.” Unsure of faerie power but remembering that names could be important, he provided only their surnames.

“If fate crosses our paths again, let it be as friends for I find your boldness quite entertaining. Should you find yourself in Eire, simply say my name and someone will lead you to my hill. This was a most memorable hunt, do you not agree?” He asked of the assembled faeries who let out a round of cheers. “Dawn comes so we must return before the gate closes. I bid you goodnight, cousins.” He turned his horse and rode through the gate, his party falling in behind him. Once the last faerie had crossed the threshold, the gateway closed rapidly until it disappeared completely. In the slow break of dawn, the three stared at the spot where the gateway had stood, wondering at what they had experienced.

“It looks just like a regular tiger claw,” Akabayashi complained, holding up the claw he had taken from the nue as a trophy. “No one is going to believe I fought a nue.”

“No one is going to believe any of this,” Shiki replied with a shrug. 

“Don’t worry, Mizuki. You’re scary enough that they won’t dare call you a liar to your face. Though you should probably remove the masks before we return to town.” 

“Do you have to return the masks?” Shiki asked as he untied the string.

“No, but the enchantment will fade in a day or so and then they will just be normal masks again. I paid the priest for them so you can keep them if you want to.”

“A mask to match your name, Haruya?” Akabayashi teased as he removed his, tying it to his belt instead. “You should find masks to bring back for Shu and Taka.”

“The priest did have other masks…” Izaya mused, contemplating the idea. 

“Since we’re here anyway, we should spend a few days in the city. Enjoy a well-deserved rest after rescuing the people.”

“We return to Sendai tomorrow,” Shiki replied firmly.

“Oh… well… I won’t be able to take us home right away.” Izaya said with a yawn. “I need to rest for a while before I can do any more magic.”

Shiki eyed him suspiciously. “Two days or we’re taking a boat.” Izaya paled at the thought.

“Two days should be enough.” He agreed and Akabayashi snorted. 

“You really don’t like sailing, do you?”

“I am not a fish,” Izaya replied with a disdainful sniff.

“Shall we return to your friend’s house?” Shiki urged. “I’d like some sleep before the sun is fully in the sky.”

“Of course, my lord,” Izaya replied with a grin. 

“Sleep is something I think we can all agree on,” Akabayashi added with a chuckle.


	2. Neon Demons: Mischief Makers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second one. I really don't know if I'll have time to do any others. I have a third one started but I've been kind of braindead lately. I'll try to get it done by Thursday.

"A Halloween party? Seriously?" Shiki actually sounded exasperated though Izaya wasn't sure if it was the email he was reading or the early hour, probably a combination of the two. He came up behind Shiki with a cup of coffee, peering over his shoulder. 

"Awakusu Halloween party? Is this just an excuse to drink? Never mind, that's  _ all _ yakuza parties."

Shiki took the coffee and sipped, giving Izaya an amused look. "It's for the kids. Akane wants a Halloween party so, of course, Mikiya is going overboard."

"Of course. What does he expect the adults to do at a kid’s party?" 

"Who knows," Shiki grumbled. "What a waste of my time."

"Oh? Did you have other plans for Halloween?" Izaya asked with a grin. 

"I assumed you would plan something and spring it on me at the last minute in the hopes that I would give in to your sometimes entertaining but always completely reckless impulses."

Izaya gave a slow blink at Shiki's response then chuckled. "Why Haruya, are you saying you kept your calendar free just for me?" 

"Of course not. As you can see, I'll be attending a ten-year-old’s party."

"Shall I stage a rescue?" Izaya proposed, earning a stern look from Shiki. 

"Ruining the Little Miss's Halloween is not something I'm interested in doing, Izaya."

"I don't need to ruin the kids' fun to rescue you. In fact, I could even recruit them."

"That only sounds worse."

"An army of costumed minions to direct."

"You have a colour gang for that."

Izaya snorted at the unexpected response. "Consider it training."

"Training on how to become delinquents?" 

"Have a bit of faith in me. I shall impart only the best skills."

"Like what? Lockpicking? Social manipulation? Eavesdropping?" 

"All extremely useful in a proper career. If I was teaching them to be delinquents, I'd show them how to kneecap someone. Or the many uses of a baseball bat, none of which involve playing the game."

"When would Akane ever need to know how to pick a lock?" Shiki arched a brow. 

"Corporate espionage? Accidentally locked out of her apartment? Surprising her potential boyfriend?" 

"Only a brat like you would see breaking and entering as a potentially romantic gesture."

"What is a relationship without a little excitement?" Izaya defended with a grin.

"Normal?"

" _ Boring! _ And boring leads to cheating and divorce and fighting over the house and the kids."

"We both have separate apartments. And no kids."

"Brutal court battles over the coffeemaker. And what about the cats?" 

"Are you equating your cats to children? Keep them. And I paid for the coffee maker. Unless you want this imaginary court case to turn into an unsolved murder, you'll reconsider."

Izaya laughed and shrugged, settling into Shiki's lap with a cup of coffee of his own. "You'd miss the cats." He replied with such assurance that it made Shiki smile a bit. 

"This went a bit far from the original topic." 

"Rescue. Because rescuing the princess is romantic." 

"You fit that title more than I." Shiki snorted. "I don't need rescuing and I definitely don't want to have to explain to Mikiya why his daughter assembled a ghoulish army of ten-year-olds."

"You're no fun. Practically boring. Now I have to look elsewhere for entertainment.”

“I pity whoever it is you decide to torment.” 

Izaya pouted at the response. “Just for that, I’m going to go to the club with Kazuo.” 

Shiki arched a brow. “That so?”

“Mmhm. He wanted a wingman. I wasn’t going to go but since I’m all alone now, I may as well.”

“What are you going to do at a club?”

“People watch.” 

"Sounds like something you would do. Which club?" 

"Not sure. Knowing Kazuo, it might be more than one."

"Try not to cause too much trouble. I don't want to have to bail you out of jail." Shiki deadpanned, earning an offended look from Izaya. 

"When have I ever been arrested?" He scoffed. 

"There's a first time for everything."

~

"Your boys got a bit too drunk and enthusiastic about the holiday." The officer informed Shiki as he was escorted to the cell. "Don't worry, this is all off the record. Young men should be allowed to make a few mistakes, you know?" 

"I'm sure they'll appreciate it," Shiki replied as he fixed his eyes on the two young men who were lounging on the bench together as if they owned the place. Kazuo was quite obviously drunk, cheeks flushed and eyes glazed. Izaya was not. He was slouched in that boneless way of the drunk but his eyes were clear and the smirk on his lips was one of pure mischief. Shiki's eyes narrowed as they met Izaya's which just made the raven's smirk widen. 

"Ohhh Shiki-san!" Kazuo stood and bowed to the executive. If Izaya hadn't grabbed the back of his pants, Kazuo would have pitched right over. "Pardon me for inconveniencing you, sir. There is no excuse but I do have an explanation for all of this."

"I believe the explanation was already determined to be too much alcohol." Izaya cut off before the young secretary could add any more. 

"But Izaya… what about-" He began but Shiki cut him off. 

"We can talk about this in the car. Sorry to waste your time, officer. If you'll let them out, I will make sure they don't cause any more trouble tonight."

"Yes, of course, Shiki-san." The officer replied as he unlocked the cell. Izaya rose smoothly, keeping a hand on Kazuo to steady him. Shiki followed behind the two and, once they'd left the police station, levelled a sharp kick at Izaya's ass. The raven sensed the impending attack and shifted to the left, dragging Kazuo into the line of Shiki's foot. The young secretary let out a yelp, rubbing his ass and giving Izaya an accusatory look. 

"I can't decide if this was intentional or just a coincidence. For your sake, brat, it better be the latter."

"Well, it  _ did _ get you out of babysitting," Izaya replied with a grin as he helped Kazuo into the back seat of the car. "Ohhhh you brought Akabaka."

"You thought I was going to stick around when Shiki was leaving to 'take care of business'?" Akabayashi responded from the driver's seat. "He had his 'Izaya' expression."

"You can read his expression?" Kazuo's voice was full of admiration. "All I get is impending doom…"

"Impending doooooom…" Izaya repeated with a cackle as he slid in beside Kazuo. 

"It takes years to decipher Shiki's expressions," Akabayashi replied with a grin. 

"You just made the very safe assumption that it was Izaya." Shiki arched a brow as he settled into the front seat. "There is no specific expression for Izaya."

"Actually…" Kazuo spoke with all the lack of self-preservation that alcohol induced. "There's this one expression I've seen you give Izaya when you-" He cut himself off when Shiki turned to look at him. "Nevermind…" Izaya snickered and Akabayashi smirked. 

"You want to explain how you ended up in jail for drunk stupidity now? Especially you." He fixed his gaze on Izaya. "When you aren't even drunk."

"Spirits," Kazuo replied gravely, not a hint of joking in his tone. "There were spirits at the bar and they were playing nasty tricks on people."

"It's true. They were doing a haunted theme at the club. There was some kind of silly show to start off the night where some actors performed a seance."

"So what, they accidentally summoned something real?" Akabayashi filled in the obvious conclusion. "Is that even possible?" 

" _ It is!"  _ Kazuo insisted. "I saw the spirits."

"Yes, but you're drunk," Akabayashi replied with a chuckle. 

"Izaya!" Kazuo implored, staring at the heir. 

"Absolute truth. Tanuki spirits. I honestly don't think the summoning actually brought them so much as caught their attention. I believe they merely took advantage of the opportunity they were presented."

"If Tanuki were responsible for whatever trouble landed you in jail, why did you end up blamed?" Shiki asked. 

"They disguised themselves," Izaya replied with a shrug. "One of them made itself look like the club's owner when the police showed up and blamed us because we knew what they were."

"How did they know?"

"Well… I was talking to one of them." Izaya replied with a smirk. "It was a very fascinating conversation until someone called the police. Probably the guy whose hair fell out."

"Hair fell out?" Akabayashi raised a brow. Kazuo started giggling. 

"One of the tricks they played."

"And what, exactly, were you discussing with the tanuki?" Shiki continued, suspicion heavy in his voice. 

“Potential business deals.”

"Potential business deals? Even though they blamed you for their trouble?"

"Oh, that wasn't the one I was talking to. And that was only because Kazuo was telling the officer about the tanuki."

"Sorry…" Kazuo replied sheepishly. "But it was trying to blame me for its prank."

"Which club was this?" 

"ClubHouse."

"That hole in the wall gay bar near the Hakudai Bookstore? Why would you go there? It's a dive."

Akabayashi chuckled as he turned the engine and pulled away from the curb. "That you identified it by its proximity to a bookstore is hilarious."

"It's not like there are many options," Kazuo replied with a shrug. "Are we going back?" He added, perceiving Akabayashi's intent. 

"I'm interested in meeting these tanuki," Akabayashi replied with a grin. "Besides, technically that piece of real estate ClubHouse is on belongs to the Awakusu."

"Bad for business, letting a bunch of tanuki make a mess of the place." Shiki agreed. "Drawing police attention and driving away customers."

"I knew you'd want to check it out," Izaya replied smugly. 

~

The bar was still quite lively when they arrived - a bit too lively, with the doors propped open and music spilling out into the street. Akabayashi's expression was one of amusement while Shiki remained unreadable. Their presence immediately evoked whispers from patrons and troublemaking tanuki alike. They had been expecting the tanuki to be disguising themselves as they had been before Izaya was arrested but it seemed a few of the tanuki no longer cared to hide their nature. One such rascal was sitting on the bar, drinking beer and entertaining two young women whose drunken giggles could be heard throughout the bar as they laughed at its terrible jokes. The owner was standing behind the bar, wringing his hands as he watched the tanuki drink his booze and drive away his customers. He spotted the yakuza and hope flashed across his face.

“Which one is in charge, Izaya?” Shiki asked.

“Mmmm.” Izaya scanned the room thoughtfully. “The one on the bar, I think.”

“You’re sure?”

“As sure as I can be, given that he was more human-looking when I talked to him, but the girls are the same."

"Akabayashi, why don't you make sure those girls get a safe ride home?" Shiki instructed as he approached the bar. "Take Kazuo with you."

The tanuki's gaze shifted to them as they approached, it's grin turning feral. Shiki looked to the bartender, giving him a polite smile. "If you would be so kind as to bring us a bottle of your best whiskey, the furry gentleman and I will be having a private conversation over there." Shiki indicated a relatively private table near the back, and away from most of the revelry. The bartender bowed to Shiki and immediately busied himself with the request. 

"Bold. I like that. He was bold, too." The tanuki nodded in Izaya's direction. It hopped off the bar and moved to the table Shiki had indicated, teetering a bit on bowed legs. "Trying to bribe me with that good whiskey?" 

Shiki took a seat across from the tanuki, leaning back in his chair in a relaxed pose. "Not at all. I don't like shit whiskey and this place isn't exactly known for its top-shelf drinks. If I ask for their best, I'm hoping I'll get something mediocre."

The tanuki laughed at the response. "Ah, fair point, Shiki-san." It replied as the owner set down the bottle and three glasses with ice. 

Izaya poured the whiskey while Shiki talked. "Since you know who we are, we can just cut to the chase. You've caused quite a bit of trouble tonight. Which I normally wouldn't care about, however, you've also cost me money and that just doesn't sit well with me."

The tanuki smirked. "Do you mean bailing your juniors out of jail?" 

"You think I had to pay for that? Maybe you don't know who he is, then. If Orihara-san didn't want to end up in jail, he wouldn't have."

Izaya's gaze slid to Shiki and a smirk lifted the corners of his lips. "I never gave my name."

The tanuki's gaze shifted to Izaya. "You're obviously yakuza and this is Awakusu territory."

"True," Shiki replied. "But the Awakusu aren't really in the business of making covert deals with creatures that, by social consensus, don't exist. We tend to keep our business in the arena of mortals."

The tanuki's brow furrowed as he reassessed Izaya. "Ahhh, you're that one. Then, if it wasn't bail, elaborate on how we cost you money, Shiki-san."

"You seem to be aware that the Awakusu run things in Ikebukuro. In particular, places like this tend to fall under our purview. I would think, then, that the answer is obvious. When the business owner loses money, we lose money."

"Sounds like an unfortunate situation for you and the business owner." The tanuki responded, still grinning. "You plan on what? Calling the cops again?" 

"No, that clearly won't work but you're not the first supernatural creature I've had to deal with." Shiki planted his foot on the tanuki's chair, heel connecting with the wood a hair's breadth away from its balls. The tanuki’s eyes widened and it shoved the chair back only to meet with the resistance of Izaya's hands on his shoulders.

"I find it interesting, Shiki-san, that there is a Buddhist temple just up the road from here," Izaya commented. "The grounds are quite lovely there and I hear the monk there enjoys taking care of the wildlife that are drawn to it." The tanuki took a sip of the whiskey, fidgeting nervously. 

"Is that so?" Shiki asked, a dangerous gaze fixed on the tanuki. "I wonder what the priest would think about his pets playing cruel tricks on humans?" 

"Well, I'm sure he would preach pacifism but Buddhism  _ is _ about karmic balance so if you were to, for example, castrate a rowdy animal, I'm sure he would be understanding." The tanuki swallowed audibly. 

"Seems you're in a bit of an awkward position." Akabayashi inserted as he joined them, Kazuo standing behind deferentially. "You'd have been better off negotiating with Orihara. Shiki gets cranky when he has to clean up messes."

"We can still negotiate." The tanuki replied nervously. "If you're still interested, Orihara. Me and my boys are real good at disrupting business... Ehehehe… As you can see…"

"Actually, you'll be negotiating with me now." Shiki corrected. "And the first condition is settling your debts with the owner."

Izaya's smile slipped for just a moment then it was back. "Real money. No illusions that turn to leaves once you're gone."

"Then you will gather up your boys and take your party elsewhere. When I have a job for you, I'll come to the temple."

"Payment made in food and beer." The tanuki replied with a nervous grin. "I can't imagine you'd have any complaints?" 

"Seems reasonable enough. And of course, there will be no more trouble made for Awakusu business interests."

"Of course, Shiki-san." The tanuki agreed. "Shall we toast to this new arrangement?" Kazuo moved forward to refill the glasses.

"To a successful business relationship." Shiki offered. 

"To great food, great drink, and great pranks!"

Shiki threw back the whiskey, stood and offered the tanuki a polite bow. The tanuki let out a loud belch and nodded his head. After paying the owner for the whiskey, Shiki left the bar, immediately lighting up a smoke and leaning against the car. 

"You stole my deal!" Izaya accused, hands on his hips. Akabayashi chuckled and slapped Izaya on the back.

“I’m sorry, Izaya.” Kazuo apologized morosely. “If I hadn’t gotten us arrested, you could have made the deal right from the start.” 

This just made Akabayashi laugh more. “Come on, Shimada, I’ll walk you to the taxi stand.” 

“Oh, you don’t need to do that, Akabayashi-san. I’m fine on my own.”

“Anyone ever told you that you’re way too polite for the yakuza?” Akabayashi asked as he walked Kazuo up the street. 

Shiki gave Izaya an amused look. “Consider it payment for making trouble for me.”

“I  _ rescued you _ . From the terrible boredom of a Mikiya party.”

“Yeah… Not really. The party was winding down when you called.” 

At that revelation, Izaya sulked. “Well, you wouldn’t have gotten to meet the tanuki if I hadn’t called you.” Izaya pointed out.

“True.” Shiki exhaled a cloud of smoke. “But letting you get your hands on a gang of pranksters just didn’t seem like a good idea. Since we’re allied, you can negotiate with me on borrowing them, however.”

Izaya pouted. “Negotiate? This is what I get for letting you in on the adventure? You’re terrible.”

“You’ll get over it,” Shiki replied, dropping the butt to the ground and extinguishing it with his shoe. “And Ikebukuro won’t experience a rash of unexplainable pranks that would just end up putting more work on my desk. Works out for everyone.”

“You mean, works out for you.” Izaya accused.

Shiki shrugged. “You know, pouting about it isn’t a very good negotiating tactic.”

Izaya’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully and he closed the distance between them. “Private negotiations?”

“Don’t get any ideas,” Shiki replied with a snort.

“Too late…”

“Get in the car and behave.” Shiki fixed Izaya with a very pointed look, one eyebrow arched. 

Izaya gave Shiki an impish smirk. “Yes, sir.” He replied in a singsong voice as he did as he was told.

Shiki rolled his eyes as he got into the driver’s seat. “Brat.”


	3. Raijin Sukedan - The Halloween Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... This one is a short that's based on something I haven't exactly published yet. I'm working on it in the background but I don't know when I'll be posting it, unfortunately. When I was thinking of ideas for Halloween this one just came to me and I had to write it so consider it a teaser, I guess... XD  
So I'll give y'all a summary: Awakusu boys... As girls... in high school. That's all I'm gonna give away for now. So enjoy a taste of fem!Shiki, fem!Aka, fem!Ao, fem!Kaz, and fem!Iza.

"What are you doing tonight?" Mizuki asked as she came into the student council office and promptly flopped on the couch sideways, throwing his legs across Shu's lap. 

Haruka didn't bother to look up from her homework, answering without really considering the question. There was really only one answer she would give. "Homework. You should try it sometime. It's amazing how much actually handing in your assignments can improve your grades."

Mizuki just smirked at the sarcasm laced suggestion. "I have a  _ much _ better idea. I was invited to a Halloween party and have graciously decided to extend the invitation to the rest of you as well."

"What kind of party?" Shu asked with a slight frown. "Another college party with plenty of booze?" 

"Well, no, not this time. I mean, I could probably find us one of those if you'd prefer…"

"Last time we went to a party like that I had to carry your drunk ass home. No thanks."

"You had fun too. Bragging about how you beat those college jocks at arm wrestling."

"Until that one guy got his boxers in a twist over being beaten by a girl," Shu grumbled.

"Is Sonohara going to be at this party?" Haruka asked, putting down her pen and raising her gaze to look at Mizuki.

"I suppose he might be. His girlfriend is the one hosting it, after all." Mizuki replied with a soft smile. 

Haruka rested her head on her hand, smirking slightly at her friend. "And how did you manage to get an invite? She doesn't like you at all."

Mizuki blushed a bit. "Sonohara-san invited me."

"Hang on, she's throwing a party and she didn't invite the student council?" Kaz spoke up from her corner desk. "That's not protocol."

"As if she cares," Mizuki replied with a shrug. "She's one of the untouchables, after all."

"Yes, her father is a wealthy donor," Haruka confirmed. 

"Still, I would think an invitation would be appropriate." Kaz insisted.

"That why Sonohara invited you?" Shu asked.

"Probably," Mizuki admitted with a momentary frown. "Doesn't matter, we're invited and we should definitely go."

"What you should be going to is class," Haruka observed as the bell rang. 

Kaz gathered her books and headed out immediately while Shu and Mizuki dawdled. Once they were gone Haruka let out a soft sigh. 

"Orihara-chan, eavesdropping is the height of rudeness. Shouldn’t you also be in class?"

Izaya stuck her head through the open window to give Haruka a cheeky grin. "Sorry, senpai." She apologized with no remorse. "Are you going to go?" 

"No," Haruka replied but, to Izaya's disappointment, didn't elaborate. 

"Why?"

"Nosy," Haruka replied with warning in her tone. Izaya's eyes widened slightly, lips parting as if to ask more then closing. She gave Haruka a thoughtful look then disappeared out the window. 

~

"We can meet up at Coffee Showa and head there together." Mizuki was telling the other girls as Haruka joined them outside the school gates. "Haruka, you'll come, right?" 

Haruka shook her head. "No, I won't be able to." She replied. 

"Aw, come on!" Mizuki protested. "You're our prez, you have to come. Besides, it won't be as fun without you."

Haruka arched a brow at Mizuki. "Since when?" 

"Since I said so. You're always more fun than Shu." 

Shu punched Mizuki's shoulder. "Shut up. Your idea of fun is lame."

A black sedan pulled up to the curb and all eyes shifted. Silence fell across the girls as the driver got out to open the back door for Haruka. 

"Haru…" Mizuki began, reaching out to squeeze her hand. 

Haruka pulled away, a neutral expression settling like a mask on her face. "I told you, I won't be going." She walked to the car and got in. Shu and Mizuki watched the car drive away helplessly. 

The raven-haired junior who had been watching the three girls from inside the gates also watched the car drive away, lips pressed to a thin line in disapproval. 

~

It was late when Haruka was finally permitted to escape the presence of her father and his associates. Retreating to her room, distracted by her thoughts, she didn't notice at first, the raven sitting on her window sill. She threw herself into her bed, shoving her face into her pillow while the raven watched with fascination. 

"Good evening, senpai," Izaya greeted Haruya quietly. Haruka sat up immediately, momentary surprise flashing across her expression. 

"Orihara-chan. How did you get past the guards?" 

"Quite easily. They aren't very attentive, you know. I like your room. It's very… you." Izaya's gaze slid around the tidy room and its stark white walls. "Absolutely nothing that might reveal personal interests or attachments whatsoever."

The observation, made with genuine interest and not judgement, made Haruka want to smile but she repressed the urge. "What are you doing here?" 

"I came to kidnap you," Izaya admitted boldly. She hopped off the window sill and began to wander around Haruka's room. 

"Kidnap?" Haruka raised a brow.

"Well, I consider it more of a jailbreak. But your family might think you were kidnapped."

Haruka's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Orihara-chan what-" 

Before she could finish a commotion broke out in the yard. Haruka moved to the open window and was greeted with the sight of what appeared to be a colour gang being chased around by her father's guards. There were only two yakuza to at least a dozen teens who were gleefully decorating the gates and trees with toilet paper, throwing eggs at the house and even spray paint. Haruka didn't know whether to be angry or amused by the whole thing. 

"Come on." Izaya insisted, grabbing her hand as she climbed out the window. "Limited time. We need to hurry."

"This is crazy. I don't even have shoes or a coat. I'm not climbing out my window and running off."

"Don't worry about that!" Izaya insisted. "Trust me!" Haruka studied the raven-haired girl who was tugging on her hand then sighed and followed her out the window. Izaya led her around the side of the house to a small gap in the fence that looked like the boards had been pried open. They slid through the gap and on the other side Izaya handed Haruka her coat and a pair white stilettos. "Hurry up," she whispered with a grin. "You don't want to be any later to the party do you?" 

"Party? Is that why you're doing this? And how did you get my coat and shoes?" She asked as she took the coat and shoes and slipped them on. 

"Of course! You wanted to go, didn't you? You only said no because of your father." Izaya accused with a challenging look. 

"I said no because I don't want to go," Haruka replied, frowning. 

"Liar." Izaya accused then grabbed her hand again. "Come on, my house isn't too far. You can change there." The raven tugged her down the side street and away from chaos. 

"Change?" 

"It's a Halloween party. You can't go without a costume." Izaya replied as if it was obvious. 

Haruka had never been to a Halloween party. Or any of the parties that students had invited her to over the years. She frowned at Izaya as the other girl led her to a small single-family home only a block down from her own house. "You do live close." She observed as Izaya pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. 

"You gotta be quiet. My little brothers are sleeping." Izaya replied with a grin as she led Haruka inside. 

"What about your parents?" 

"They're away," Izaya replied vaguely, leading her upstairs to her bedroom. "Here!" As soon as they were in Izaya's bedroom the raven was pushing a dress at Haruka. 

"Orihara-chan I-" 

"Izaya." She insisted, frowning a bit. "You can call me Izaya. We're not at school. Hurry up and change."

Haruka stared at Izaya for an awkward and silent moment. Izaya just stared back at her with red eyes full of mischief and delight, holding out the costume. Haruka's gaze shifted to the costume, a white and gold lace bodycon dress, sleeveless with a high collar and a short skirt. She took it and turned away from Izaya, unbuttoning her blouse. 

Izaya sat back on her bed, watching the older girl change with a smirk. "You're thinner than I thought."

Haruka glanced at Izaya over her shoulder as she pulled on the dress. "What are you going to be wearing?" 

"Oh, I wasn't invited," Izaya replied with a shrug, still smirking. 

"Because I'm sure something as inconsequential as an invitation would stop a girl who breaks into people's houses for fun," Haruka replied dryly.

"Ah, but there are social etiquette rules," Izaya replied with amusement. "I'm just a junior and this is a high school party. I wouldn't want to upset the social hierarchy."

"Liar," Haruka replied, turning around. "How is this even a costume?"

"Oh, there are accessories," Izaya replied, leaning over to grab a shopping bag from off the floor. She pulled out a small set of white and gold wings that were designed to be pinned to the dress. "Turn around, I'll pin them." 

Haruka arched a brow but let the raven attach the wings. "An angel, really?" 

"What, you don't like symbolic irony?" 

"Is that why you chose it?" 

"Well, I was reading a book." Izaya moved around in front and placed a broken-halo crown on Haruka's head. 

"On symbolic irony?" 

"On angels."

Haruka snorted. "I see. Broken halo?"

"Like Lucifer."

"Are you calling me the devil?" Izaya just continued to smile up at Haruka. "You're quite a brat. What are you going to wear?" She repeated the question. 

"Are you asking me to come with you?" Izaya replied with a coy look. Haruka gave her a flat look then turned and folded up her uniform blouse and skirt, tucking them into the shopping bag. As she picked up the bag and turned to leave Izaya finally spoke. "OK, OK, yes I was going to go." She admitted with a bit of a pout at Haruka's flat refusal to play word games with her. She picked up a second shopping bag and pulled out a similar costume but in black and red lace. 

“No symbolic irony for you, I see.”

Izaya gave an impish grin as she shed her school uniform. “Are you calling me a devil, senpai?”

Haruka’s eyes followed the progression of clothing dropping to the floor with a faint flush then dropped her gaze to the floor. “Commenting on my weight… do you even eat?” She muttered as Izaya shimmied into the dress.

“Of course I eat.” The raven laughed as she handed Haruka a pair of red and black bat wings. “Besides, I’m still growing. Can you pin them for me, please?”

Haruka did as asked while Izaya slipped on the devil-horn headband. “Honestly, all this effort. Why?”

“For fun,” Izaya replied, reaching out to grab Haruka’s hand again, leading her back down to the doorway. 

“You consider this fun?” Haruka asked as she slipped on her shoes and coat.

“Yes, of course. But it’s going to be even more fun when we get to the party.” Izaya replied with an impish grin.

~

The house stood out from those around it, not only because it was larger but also because of the Halloween decorations that had been put up. The soft sound of music could be heard as they made their way up the walkway, punctuated by the laughter and shouts of the teenagers within. Izaya bounced along in front of Haruka, full of excited energy while the more reserved girl hung back, filled with uncertainty. She didn’t like socializing. It was so much effort spent pretending she didn’t know what others said about her, pretending she didn’t care about the whispers that followed her, pretending she didn’t want to claw every one of their eyes out for the way they looked at her. She should have said no to this whole ridiculous escapade but there was something about the way Izaya so desperately wanted her to do this that she couldn’t quite say no to, something infectious in the girl’s manic excitement.

“You go first, senpai.” Izaya urged her and Haruka sighed then straightened her shoulders and strode toward the door confidently. Damn did she want a smoke at that moment but with the way Izaya had dragged her from her house she’d had no time to grab them. She rang the doorbell and it was a bare few seconds before someone was throwing open the door.

“Ah! Miss President!” Came the surprised greeting of a student she barely recognized. “Shiki-san is here!” The girl announced, moving out of the doorway to allow her in. Izaya followed behind, nothing more than a silent shadow in the wake of her presence, eyes scanning the gathered students who were turning to gawk. More than a few boys were doing double-takes and stumbling over each other to greet her first. 

“Haruka!” Came the cheerful - and very obviously drunk - call of Mizuki. “You came! I knew you would come. Didn’t I say she would come, Shu?”

“No, you didn’t,” Shu replied.

“Come here Haru!” Mizuki continued, ignoring Shu’s response. “Sayo was telling us about his plans for the winter festival."

Shu just rolled her eyes as Haruka approached. 

"Shiki-san, I'm so glad you could come." Sayo gave up his chair to let her sit, smiling genuinely. "I like your costume. Who was with you when you arrived?" 

Haruka glanced back to where Izaya had been but the little imp had disappeared. "Ah, that was Orihara-chan."

"The junior who is always helping you guys out?" Sayo asked and Haruka nodded. "She sure is responsible for her age."

Mizuki giggled. "Oh no, it's not responsibility. Iza-chan just wants to spend more time with senpai." 

Haruka shot Mizuki a dirty look but the redhead just grinned. 

Shu chuckled. "It's true, Haruka."

"What's true?" Izaya asked as she reappeared, holding out a beer to Haruka. Mizuki just giggled some more. 

"Nothing, except that Mizuki is drunk," Haruka replied, taking the beer. 

"What's it like?" The raven asked, eyes bright with curiosity. 

"Fun. You should try it." Mizuki replied and Sayo laughed nervously. 

"Ahhh I think Orihara-chan is a bit young for that…"

"Sayo!" The appearance of their hostess, Mayumi Takahashi, interrupted the conversation. "I need you in the kitchen.  _ Now." _

"Excuse me, Shiki-san. Enjoy the party." He politely responded to them before following his angry girlfriend out of the room. 

"Whoops." Mizuki giggled.

"I don't know what he sees in her," Shu added, shaking her head. "She's the biggest bitch in the school."

"Bigger than Haru?" Mizuki teased, earning a kick in the shin from Haruka. 

"Sh-Shiki-san?" A familiar-looking boy approached them, stumbling over his words. "Can I… uh… Get you a drink or something? There's pizza too if you're hungry? At least, I think there's still some left…"

"She already has a drink, idiot." Another boy cut in. "How about some chips, Shiki-san?" Haruka rolled her eyes at the boys. 

"How about you stop staring at her tits?" Izaya proposed with a feral grin, still standing behind Haruka. Mizuki and Shu both snickered. 

"Who let a junior in here? Shouldn't you be at home, playing with dolls, kid?" One of the boys retorted while the other flushed with embarrassment.

Haruka's lips curved up into an icy smile. "Is that how you talk to girls?" She asked and both boys swallowed nervously.

“Uh… no Shiki-san…”

“S-sorry Shiki-san…”

“Get lost,” Haruka ordered and the boys quickly retreated. 

“You didn’t have to defend me, senpai,” Izaya said as she watched the boys flee.

“I wasn’t defending you. There’s never an excuse for bad manners.” Haruka replied with a slight smirk that drew a pout from the raven.

“So mean, senpai.”

“Heh. You should just give up now, Iza-chan.” Mizuki teased the younger girl. 

“So should you, Mizuki.” Mayumi had returned, followed by her posse. “You never should have come. You weren’t invited for a reason. Did you think bringing beer would make you cool?”

“Nah, I’m already cool,” Mizuki replied with a smirk. “But I don’t see anyone here complaining except you.”

“Well it’s my party and I want you to leave.” Mayumi insisted and Mizuki chuckled. 

“You’re just mad that Sonohara-kun invited us.”

“Which was pretty rude.” Shu echoed.

“Yes, quite the oversight, not inviting the student council,” Haruka added, eyeing Mayumi coldly.

“You never come to student parties.” Mayumi accused, sniffing disdainfully. “Why are you even here?”

Haruka rose a single eyebrow then pushed herself out of the chair. “I would think a nobody like you, with only your father’s money going for you, might appreciate the presence of someone significant at your sad little party. I would think you should be extending your thanks to Mizuki for bringing not only the beer but also her friends to liven things up. A single word from any of us, Mayumi, and your party would have been a failure. Don’t overestimate your reach.”

The party had grown quiet, even the music had been turned down so the other students could hear the developing catfight.

“They only listen to you because they’re scared of you.” Mayumi countered. “That’s not real popularity.”

“They listen to her because they respect her.” Izaya chimed in from behind Haruka. “You just don’t understand it because you can’t imagine someone who doesn’t play by the rules being popular. The only reason you don’t get dragged at school is that your Daddy’s money protects you.”

“An’ Mizuki’s girls like her for who she is cause she isn't fake like you,” Shu added, standing up as well. 

“Yeah!” A second-year girl piped up. “Mizuki’s the best. She’s always helping us out. You just boss us around.”

“Haruka might be scary but she’s not mean like you.” Another girl added.

“I just came because I heard Mizuki was going to be here.” A boy spoke up from the back, murmurs of agreement following.

“That’s fine,” Mizuki announced, standing. “If we’re not wanted, we’ll leave. Wouldn’t want to make the little girl go running to Daddy in tears and ask him to fight her fights for her.”

Mayumi’s eyes narrowed in anger at Mizuki’s insult. “How dare you?!” She yelled, raising her hand to slap Mizuki. Shu’s hand intercepted hers, wrapping around her wrist and jerking her forward.

“You wanna settle this outside?” Shu asked with a vicious grin. “Wouldn’t want to break anything.”

“Fight?”

“Fight!”

“Mayumi and Mizuki are gonna fight!” The chant spread like wildfire among the assembled teens and soon enough they were pouring onto the front lawn. A circle quickly formed around the girls, Haruka, Mizuki and Shu on one side while Mayumi and two of her girls were on the other. 

“I can’t believe I came out for this,” Haruka muttered with a sigh. “Where did Sonohara-kun go?”

“Mayumi asked him to go to the convenience store for more snacks.” Izaya provided helpfully. “She didn’t want him seeing this. Or rather, seeing her kick you out but I assume she doesn’t want him to see this either.”

“Can we make this quick, girls?” Haruka asked.

“Don’t spoil my fun, Haru,” Mizuki replied, giving Mayumi a vicious grin. “I’ve been wanting to wreck that pretty face for months.”

“Years, more like.” Shu snorted.

“Fine, have your fun with her but don’t waste time on the others. They’re just wannabes anyway.” Haruka moved forward boldly and grabbed one of Mayumi’s girls by the hair, bringing her knee up as she dragged the girl’s head down. The crack of cartilage was followed by a wail of pain as the girl pressed her hands to her broken nose. “Don’t bleed on the dress. It’s a Dior, you know.” Haruka ordered the girl, still holding her head down as she cried. “If you do, you’ll be paying it off and I doubt you have the money for that.” The girl whimpered and fell to her knees as Haruka let her hair go. 

Shu followed Haruka’s lead and went for the other girl but after watching the first girl get her nose broken, she quickly turned tail and ran. The circle parted to let her go. “Dammit! I wanted a good fight!” Shu yelled after her.

Akabayashi was sauntering toward Mayumi, a sadistic smirk on her lips as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Mayumi was watching her nervously, hands up in a bad mimic of the way the boys would face each other in schoolyard brawls. She obviously didn’t know how to fight, to the amusement of her opponents. 

Just as Mizuki pulled her arm back to take a swing, sirens filled the air. “Well shit. Who the fuck called the cops?” Mizuki yelled angrily. There was no answer, of course, as the teens scattered into the night.

“Time to go,” Izaya said with a laugh, running up to grab Haruka’s hand again, pulling her in the opposite direction as most of the kids were running. Mizuki and Shu followed and they all ducked into a dark alley that ran along the backside of the houses, quickly finding a place to hide. They huddled together against the wall in silence, waiting for the sound of sirens and shouting cops to subside. Once silence had returned to the streets Izaya started giggling. “Ohhh you’re so much fun! I can’t believe you picked a fight with her!” 

Mizuki also started giggling. “Too bad I didn’t get to hit her.” She said with regret. “But Haru I can’t believe you broke that girl’s nose.”

“Oh! Oh! And the ‘don’t bleed on the dress’…” Izaya’s giggling increased. “Dior original!”

Haruka smirked at the raven. “Well, it’s not as if they would know the difference between Dior and Uniqlo.”

“I didn’t get to fight,” Shu complained. “Only Haruka got to fight. That’s so not fair.”

“On the upside, when the story gets around and Miyu gets mad at you, you can honestly say you didn’t fight.” Mizuki consoled. 

Shu brightened up at her girlfriend’s name. “Oh yeah! She’ll be so happy to hear that!” 

“I want coffee,” Mizuki announced. “Let’s go to Coffee Showa. They said they’d give free drinks to anyone who shows up in costume tonight.” 

“Maybe it’ll help sober you up,” Haruka replied with a snort. 

Mizuki linked an arm through Shu’s and the other through Haruka’s. “What made you decide to come?” She asked as they began the walk to the coffee shop that was one of their usual haunts. 

Haruka’s gaze shifted to Izaya but the raven hadn’t followed them out of the alley. She stopped to turn around but could see no trace of the other girl. 

“Where’d she go?” Shu voiced Haruka’s thoughts.

“Who knows?” Mizuki replied with a shrug. “She’s like a little ninja.”

Haruka smiled then turned away from the alley. “I let the devil on my shoulder talk me into it…” She replied in answer to Mizuki’s earlier question. 

The girls enjoyed their coffee and parted ways, Haruka using the same loose board Izaya had led her through to sneak back in, noting that the guards really were lazy as she climbed back into her room through the window. On her bed were both the coat she had abandoned at Mayumi’s house and the school uniform she had left at Izaya’s. Beside them was a note from Izaya.

_ “I went back for your coat. I hope you had fun tonight. I sure did.” _

Under the words, Izaya had drawn a tiny devil. Haruka picked up the note as she sat on the bed, smiling softly. “What a brat.” She murmured, folding the note in half and slipping it between the pages of one of her books.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last Halloween special. I just didn't have as much time as I wanted to write more. Hope you all enjoyed them. They're all a bit silly I think, but I had fun writing them. Happy Halloween. <3

**Author's Note:**

> *The rokurokubi (ろくろ首, 轆轤首) is a type of Japanese yōkai (apparition). They look almost completely like humans, with one major difference. There are two types of Rokurokubi: one whose neck stretches, and one whose head comes off and flies around freely (nukekubi). The Rokurokubi appear in classical kaidan (spirit tales) and in yōkai works.  
*The flower district is what they called the red light district in feudal japan. The areas were often named after flowers and contained not only prostitution but also common theater like kabuki, tea houses and gambling.  
*Kabuto is a Samurai helmet.


End file.
